Eternal Mobius
by Hero-of-Winds
Summary: AU and OCs. The world of Mobius has been teetering on the brink of cataclysmic war as the already-strained relationship between the world's two powers reaches the breaking point, and only a few can save the world from falling apart. SonOC, ShadAmy. DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1: Knightly Escort

**Author's Note**: So I decided to try something a little new. This story will be completely outside the AWAE universe, and indeed, outside the games' continuity entirely. Hope you all like this new endeavor.

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><p>Dawn was just breaking as a young rabbit maid, probably no more than twelve or thirteen years old, walked down an ornately decorated hall inside of the Imperial Palace, carrying a tray of pastries and fruits alongside a piping hot pot of tea. The ceiling was arched and buttressed beautifully, and various works of art depicting emperors of the past lines the stone walls. She paused at a pair of ornately craved wooden double doors with gold trim, and knocked four times.<p>

"Breakfast, your Majesty," the maid called out before opening the door. Inside was a thick, plush bed with many pillows and a silken sheet, which was oddly tidy and neat. Nearby was a large desk, piled with maps and writing materials, and sitting at this desk was a grey hedgehog dressed in a purple robe that was meant for sleeping. He looked over at the maid, his eyes baggy and struggling to stay open. The maid sighed and laid the tray of food and drink on a side table near the door. "Milord…for your sake and the Imperium's, I humbly request that you rest your eyes now. This has been the sixth consecutive night that you have spent on perusing those maps. Anymore and I fear you will…"

Angered by this intrusion, the regally-dressed hedgehog rose to his feet and stomped toward the maid with an unsettling scowl on his face, with a metal rod in his hand.

"You are not my mother, servant! What sort of gall do you have to ask your master to do anything?" He raised the rod to strike the maid, but a weak cry suddenly brought the enraged monarch to his senses.

"No…no…you're right, little one. I haven't slept at all these past few days. I…must retire now." He lay the rod down on the floor and stumbled over to his bed.

"What shall I tell the ministers and Her Holiness?" the maid asked timidly as she grabbed hold of the handle on the door.

"Tell them that I am weary…today, and…to bar entry to the…palace for the…day," the monarch groaned before drifting off into slumber.

"Yes, your Majesty…"

* * *

><p>The training yard at the center of the Dae'Nai citadel just on the outskirts of the capital was alive with activity as always. Knights of all ranks and races were either exercising their bodies, sparring with wooden or blunted metal weapons, or practicing their mystical arts on one another.<p>

However, one Knight was content with lying on the grass and gazing at the clouds: a blue hedgehog with emerald-green eyes and a white headband set with an imitation gem of the same color. Nearby, a two-tailed yellow-orange fox clumsily practiced with an oaken quarterstaff. They were soon approached by a coyote with a thin mustache, short flaxen hair wearing a red and blue overcoat with red boots.

"Zere you are, Mauri-Ze! Zlacking off again, are you? Why can you not be more diligent wiz your training, like your friend Milos?" the coyote scolded him.

"Pft, I don't need to, Antoine," the blue hedgehog replied dismissively. "I can fight circles around any of you slowpokes. Besides…"

But before he could finish his sentence, the clang of a large bell issued forth from the nearby steeple, signaling that all troops fall in for inspection. With a sigh, Antoine ran off to join the line of knights, as Milos accidentally smacked himself in the nose with his staff, knocking him onto his behind.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow…" Milos whined, clutching his nose. The blue hedgehog got his feet, helped his friend up, and briefly examined the damage.

"Hm, nothing the medics can't fix up, but you really need to swing less wildly," he replied.

"…Thanks, Mauri," Milos replied gratefully, still rubbing his injury. The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes and groaned.

"I told you to not call me that, Tails. I'm Sonic, remember."

"Oh…yeah," the two-tailed fox replied. "We better get in line or the officers will whip us good!" With that, he rushed off toward the gathering formation of young knights. Sonic, however, made no move, whistling idly.

A powerfully built wolf Mobian dressed in silver armor stepped in front of the perfectly rectangular formation of knights, unraveled a scroll, and began calling out names. The officer immediately noticed that Sonic was not in the formation, but kept calling names, as if he was relishing the chance to whip the troublemaker knight.

After several tense minutes, he began to call out Sonic's real name. But barely a single syllable had escaped his lips than a blast of air streak across the field as Sonic zipped into position in the very western corner in the rear of the formation.

"Here, Commander!" Sonic said with a great deal of smugness. The wolf growled and finished calling out the roll call. With that, he began to address his men.

"Men, a rare opportunity to become true Knights of Dae'Nai has presented itself," he began. "Her Holiness' granddaughter and heir, the Lady Tahra-Fi is looking for a few brave knights to escort her to the human kingdom of Soleanna. Unfortunately, the remaining Knight Commanders are either reinforcing the emperor's men in defending the southern border from the residents of the Dark Land there, or overseeing the building of our citadel by the western coast. Therefore it has fallen upon you junior knights to handle this task. Of course, Tahra-Fi will be handpicking her escort."

Immediately a murmur went through the formation of knights. Tails, who was standing right next to Sonic, looked up in excitement.

"You heard it, right? We could escort Her Holiness' heir! Not only is she important, but she's beautiful!"

"I also hear she's really full of herself and thinks she's better than everyone just because she's going to be high priestess," Sonic whispered, knowing what he was saying would get him in serious trouble. "I'd rather throw myself into a dragon's mouth than escort her anywhere. I can't believe she's the granddaughter of that sweet old Ilsea-Ka."

Suddenly, the double doors leading inside flung open, and a squad of five Dae'Nai Knights marched out, with someone in tow: a thin, purple female hedgehog with curved quills, sapphire eyes, and wearing a cerulean dress and lapis lazuli jewelry, finished off with silver shoes. She definitely had the look and bearing of a high priestess. Even Sonic couldn't help but admire how pretty she looked, though he had plenty of assumptions of what was behind this pretty face.

"Knights, line up and salute!" the wolf bellowed, and all the junior knights, even Sonic, arranged themselves in a single long row before saluting Tahra-Fi. The priestess-to-be stepped forward and surveyed the arrangement of knights. It didn't take long for Sonic, who was in a more casual pose, to catch her eye.

"You, blue boy," she said with a demanding tone, pointing to the blue hedgehog knight, and then beckoning him forward with the same finger. "Come here." Everyone, including Sonic, looked astonished at the young priestess' selection. With noticeable chagrin, Sonic marched forward.

He stopped in front of her and sarcastically saluted, continually shocking everyone present except Tahra herself. The two locked gazes for a minute or two, Tahra smiling smugly, and Sonic leering at her.

"You…you're the one they call the son of the wind, right?" she asked.

"What's it to you?" Sonic replied. "Why would you want a slacker like me over the rest of these perfectly good knights?"

"I'll tell you when we set out," the purple hedgehog replied before turning to the wolf. "I've made my decision. I will be taking Mauri-Ze as my escort."

"My Lady, I highly suggest you reconsider," the wolf pleaded with her. "This so-called son of the wind is nothing more than a rogue and a do-nothing!"

"My decision is final, Knight Commander. Or should I report you to the Grand Commander for insubordination?" The wolf scowled and agreed.

"I'll go on one condition…you take my buddy Tails along as well," Sonic replied, pointing to his friend.

"I don't see why not. The more the merrier, they say," Tahra answered.

"It has been decided. Sir Mauri-Ze and Squire Milos-Par will be accompanying Lady Tahra-Fi to Soleanna. You two, come with us. The rest of you…back to training!" The crowd, grousing and grumbling as they dispersed, did so. The Knight Commander and Tahra bade the two escorts to follow.


	2. Chapter 2: Speaker and Wanderer

The moon was at its fullest that night, as a dozen hooded and robed Mobians gathered in a stone circle in torchlight, surrounding a pink hedgehog girl dressed in a white, grass-woven robe. Tonight was the summer solstice as well, yet the crickets were eerily silent, as if they were anticipating some important event.

One of the hooded Mobians approached the girl in the center and removed a fist-sized stone flask from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Amey Rosel, daughter of the scaly ancients," the hooded man addressed her. "Tonight will be a night of celebration, should you survive this trial. You will at last earn the mark of your holy blood, and be able to communicate with your forebears."

"And…and I'm supposed to drink this?" Amey asked uneasily. She tugged hard on the stopper on the flask, which began to emit a sickeningly sweet odor, like that of rotting fruit. "Okay…if it's really what I have to do." The hooded man nodded, and stepped back into the circle. They quickly began to chant ancient words that caused the stones forming the circle to emit a white glow. Amey took another look at the flask, took a deep breath, and downed the contents in one gulp.

Almost immediately her body started convulsing as the unknown liquid took effect, catalyzing the dragon blood in her veins. She dropped to the ground, trying her hardest not to cry out as every part of her was overwhelmed by both immense pressure and a burning sensation. While she had been armed with the knowledge that the circle of hooded figures was doing their best to decrease the pain she felt, it was still unbearable.

For a time, she seemed to be tortured needlessly. But then the pain became concentrated in her shoulder blades as two lumps formed there. The lumps quickly burst forth, from her, which turned out to be tiny dragon wings. The wings wasted no time in growing to full size, cracking and creaking as the bones stretched, skin formed and muscles writhed to make the new wings fully functional.

At the same time, an unbearably hot sensation formed in Amey's chest. A new organ was being formed just behind her sternum. The rest of her organs readjusted themselves to accommodate the newcomer. No sooner had that writhing in her chest gone away than did a feeling of needing to vomit overwhelm the hedgehog. But when she did, instead of the contents of her stomach, a massive blast of flame burst from her mouth, singeing her throat and palate. Luckily, the stone circle was in an area free of plant matter, and the moisture in the air ensured the fire did not spread.

Only after unleashing the fire did the pain finally subside. She slumped over, breathing heavily as her heart, which seemed ready to burst after the immense trauma, relaxed. The wings that had burst forth from her body were each one-and-a-half times her height of around four feet when fully stretched out, but were now folded neatly behind her.

Amazingly, Amey didn't have to lay there long before she was strong enough to get to her feet on her own. The hooded men cheered loudly at this event, for she had survived the trial.

"Marvelous! At long last we have a dragonspeaker!" one of them proclaimed.

"Hierophant Ragozine's new formula is truly wondrous!" another commented.

The hooded Mobian who had given her the flask approached her once more, this time removing his hood to reveal a blue chameleon Mobian, who smiled proudly at Amey before presenting her with a spare robe.

"You have survived the trial, and awakened the dragon blood that runs through you. While you have become a true dragonspeaker, your trials are not over. Tomorrow you will set out to Ciro's Peak to meet with Ciro, our region's guardian…and your father."

It was not uncommon for male dragons to assume the forms of Mobians (or sometimes a human) and take on non-dragon lovers, and, defying all biological explanation, they would bear children. These children would have the species of their Mobian parent, but would also inherit some of the traits of their dragon parent, including skin as tough as hide armor, physical strength far beyond the norm, or excellent vision under any conditions. But the most important factor was the ability to understand the ancient dragon language. It was in these words that bore the will of the ancient race. Amey was to serve this role in maintaining the harmony that the entire continent needed to survive.

"Ciro…I wonder what he's like…" she thought out loud as she put on the robe in order to cover her naked body.

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><p>A gunshot rang out, scaring birds from out of the trees. This was soon followed by an unceremonious thud as another monster fell, underestimating its victim. Standing over the monster was a black hedgehog with red streaks on his quills, as well as a distinct pair of shoes, still grasping his magnum pistol.<p>

"Another day, another freak of nature," he thought, as he holstered his weapon. "I wonder if I'll be doing this forever." He nudged the corpse with his foot to ensure it was dead before continuing on his way.

He had been traveling like this for months now, and every day he would walk in whatever direction struck his fancy, never stopping to eat, and sleeping only when he absolutely needed it. He had never been truly hungry, and only ate for the occasional pleasure. The one thing he did long for was a reason to exist. His old purpose had been stripped from him months ago, and now he wandered, looking for some place to begin anew.

As he crested the next hill, he spotted a village in the valley below, consisting of thatched huts and houses made of large stones. He could easily see that it was bustling with activity, possibly a celebration of some kind…but what were they celebrating? The black hedgehog had to know. He started off toward the village, looking for answers.

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><p>A festival celebrating Amey's success was in full swing, with residents of the village as well as those of neighboring ones who heard the good word. Children were either playing raucous games or enraptured by storytellers, while adults were either feasting on the wide array of foods prepared for the occasion, listening to the storytellers as well, dancing to the beat of a travelling drummer passing through the area, or fawning over Amey herself.<p>

The pink hedgehog, even having grown up as the darling of her entire village, wasn't used to this sort of attention. Up until this moment she had never wondered whether people genuinely cared about her or if they cared that she would be the dragonspeaker. But even in the midst of all this joy, she felt somewhat empty.

"I'm sure Ciro would be so proud of you!" one villager, a matronly badger, beamed as she handed her a ripe red apple. "And I'm sure he'll be delighted to finally meet his daughter!"

"Yeah…sure," Amey sighed before taking a half-hearted bite out of the fruit as she gazed off toward the mountains, wondering if that was really the case. She stood up from the wooden throne decorated with flowering vines that she was sitting on, and excused herself, much to the dismay of those gathered. Nonetheless, they continued the celebration.

Amey walked away from the village toward the peak where her father, the dragon Ciro, lived. She stopped after walking a good half-mile before lying down on the sun-kissed grass and gazing up at the clouds. Here, her cares seemed to drift away with the slow-moving clouds, and the wind caressed her face. Still a bit tired from the day's festivities and her trials from the night before, Amey felt herself nodding off, soothed by her surroundings.

But she was quickly brought back to alert when she heard a noise that was completely unfamiliar to her. The closest she could estimate it was the sound of rapid, high-pitched wheezing, but it was far too loud to be that. The sound drew closer, and she sprung to her feet, ready for the worst.

As she did, she found herself staring down the barrel of a magnum pistol. But she looked up and saw the black hedgehog with red streaks on his quills. His shoes were emitting the same wheezing noise, but much quieter. After a few uneasy moments, the black hedgehog lowered his weapon.

"I'm sorry," he said to her, lowering his weapon. While she couldn't understand his language, his more relaxed posture and tone of voice indicated that his perception of her as a threat was mistaken.

"Um…hello," Amey replied. The black hedgehog closed his eyes for a moment as if processing her two words, and replied in her language as if he had known it all along.

"Could you tell me about that village there?" he asked, holstering his weapon. "I am looking for a place to rest, as I've travelled from a place far from here." Amey quickly got over the shock of not being able to understand him one moment, and being to perfectly understand him the next, looked back at her village.

"I don't know. How can I trust you that you won't hurt anyone there?" Amey said suspiciously. "That strange thing you were holding…it's like some sort of weapon, isn't it? And your shoes…you're not a spy from the eastern continent, are you?" The half-dragon hedgehog assumed a defensive stance.

"…The eastern continent…you mean the Imperium of Mobius?" the black hedgehog replied. "So that must mean I'm in the Druid-dom…"

"…Druid-dom? Imperium of Mobius? What are you talking about?" Amey exclaimed. "Stop trying to confuse me!"

"So you really are a country bumpkin," the black hedgehog replied with a laugh, crossing his arms. "You don't even have the slightest idea about the big picture, do you? Alright, I'm in a good mood, so I'll try to explain things. You see, there are three major continents on this planet, and each is governed by a major power. You are on the western continent, which is loosely ruled by the Druids. If I'm not mistaken, they dictate a life in harmony with nature is the way to go."

"…Of course!" Amey replied proudly, dropping her guard. "Unlike those gluttons on the eastern continent, we try to live lives in partnership with the world, and we will not enslave it!"

"The eastern continent is home to the Imperium, which is much more advanced technologically. But I also hear you have some powerful allies that even the playing field…I believe they are called dragons."

Amey's suspicion now turned to wonder at just how much this traveler knew. He obviously did not mean any harm, so she saw no harm in bringing him to the village to let him rest.

"Please, you can tell me more of what you know at the village. By the way, my name is Amey Rosel. What's yours?"

A name…the black hedgehog never really thought about that. Where he came from he had always been called "hedgehog" or "servant". He looked down, and saw his shadow. Figuring that it was as good as any, he turned back to Amey.

"Just call me Shadow," the black hedgehog replied. "I…don't have a last name."

Amey smiled and giggled a bit and started back towards the village, and Shadow, having given himself an identity, followed her with a bit more hope in his heart.


	3. Chapter 3: Journey Begins

The Grand Cathedral was beautiful to behold whether in sunlight or in moonlight. The main altar area was filled with wooden pews facing a throne-shaped altar, behind which a sapling that seemed to be made of crystal had taken root. An old hedgehog woman dressed in mauve robes, wearing a silver headband with a ruby set in it sat on the throne, while the pews were filled with two dozen hooded figures. Another hooded figure stood at the hedgehog's right.

"Now that formalities are dealt with, let us attend to the matter at hand," the old hedgehog spoke in a raspy but strong voice before letting out a cough. "As you all know, my granddaughter and successor will be departing for the Kingdom of Soleanna come the dawn. Unfortunately, she has chosen…less-than-qualified bodyguards from the ranks of the junior Knights of Dae'Nai, rash girl that she is. I must ask that one or two of you Knights of Marduk to watch over her on her journey." Immediately, one of the hooded figures arose and removed his hood, revealing a purple weasel with a smirk on his face.

"Ah, Nack," the old hedgehog said with a smile. "I am surprised that you would be the first to volunteer."

"What can I say? Your grandkid saved me when no one else would," the weasel replied. "I was actually hoping to pay her back for saving me from the axe." Another hooded figure rose up and removed their hood, revealing a female white bat with a very annoyed look on her face.

"Now hold on!" the bat replied. "Your Holiness, I've known Nack a long time, and I still think you can only trust him as far as you can throw him. Didn't he join but six moons back? I've been here a year, and…"

"If you do not trust him, Lady Rouge-Dia," the priestess hedgehog replied, "Then perhaps you should join to keep an eye on both him and my granddaughter?"

The bat was flabbergasted, and stumbled to find a reply, but quickly gave up.

"Okay, fine. I'll go," the bat replied.

"Excellent. Sir Nack and Lady Rouge-Dia," the priestess said, clapping her hands once. "You will follow my granddaughter and ensure her safety on her journey to Soleanna at all costs. I will give you more instructions once the meeting concludes."

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><p>Tahra lay on her bed in her room, unable to go to sleep. She knew that tomorrow she would leave the safety of the capital for the first time in a long time. Both excitement and anxiety filled her, even as her body felt weary from the preparations that had consumed the evening.<p>

She heard a quiet rapping at her window, and looked outside. A cerulean hedgehog with three quills and a messy set of bangs, dressed in noble garments, was outside. It was her old childhood friend Haishin-Eb, the Emperor's son. She went over to the window and opened it, letting the prince, as well as a gust of cool, moist air, inside.

"So I heard that you're off to Soleanna tomorrow," he said as Tahra closed the window. "I wanted to say goodbye now, since my father is going to be including me in all of his meetings in the morning, and I won't be able to see you off." Tahra nodded and sat back down on her bed, still looking uneasy.

"Haishin…I'm glad you came, but, I…"

"What's wrong, Tahra?" Haishin asked sympathetically, putting an arm around her. "I told you that you can say anything to me." To his shock, she pushed him away as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I just found out that we…we can't be together like this!" she cried out.

"What do you mean?" Haishin asked. "Don't tell me your grandmother found out!"

"No…no…she doesn't know as far as I can tell," Tahra replied, wiping away her tears. "It's just that I recently learned from her that the High Priestess cannot be with someone who has a claim to the Imperial throne…something about keeping state and church from mixing, I don't know!"

"Then…who ARE you supposed to be with?" Haishin exclaimed. "…Those overbearing Knights of Dae'Nai?"

"I don't know," Tahra answered. But the point is that we can't be together anymore. We can still be friends, though." She groaned and buried her face in her pillow.

"No!" Haishin cried out, slamming his fist against the wall. "That's idiotic! I care for you more than anything else in the world right now! I refuse to marry some gold-digging noble girl whose father is only interested in boosting his status!"

"It's holy law, Haishin," Tahra replied, rolling onto her back again, still crying a bit. "I wish I knew a way around it, but…"

"You know what? I have an idea!" the prince said excitedly. "I'll give up my claim to the throne, and let someone else have it! That way, we can be together!" Tahra suddenly seemed less upset by being unable to be together than the fact that Haishin was so desperate to be with her that he would give up everything for her. She got up from her bed and looked over at the love-crazed Haishin.

"I don't give two spits about this Empire! It's too corrupt as it is, and I want no part of it! I'm going to…"

Suddenly Tahra rose from her bed and walloped Haishin across the face as hard as she could. The prince staggered backwards and put his palm to his face.

"No! Shut up! Shut up! Don't say that!" she cried out. "You said to me just a few days ago that when we took over from our predecessors that we were going to fix everything that was wrong with the Imperium! We swore to each other! Are you going to let your uncle take the throne? You and I both know what a scumbag he is!" Haishin, now back to sanity, took Tahra's words into his heart.

"Yes…you're right, Tahra. I'd be a fool to throw away the chance to better the world for my own selfish desires. We should both try to find new people to make us happy. But until that day comes, you will always be first in my heart.

"Thank you. Now…please leave, you've probably attracted the attention of the guards, and if they catch you, your father and my grandmother will have a fit."

"All right, then. Have a safe journey," the prince replied as he opened the window and stepped out. Tahra closed it behind her and lay back on her bed. Rolling over on her stomach, she began to sob loudly, the sound muffled by her pillow.

* * *

><p>Dawn came, and Sonic and Tails waited outside the city gates for their charge to arrive. Tails was practicing with his staff as always, which Sonic was leaning up against a wall, watching his friend practice.<p>

"Tails, you're swinging too wildly again. You gotta control it a little more. Even Antoine could have dodged that swing!"

"I know, I know…but it's just so hard. I'd really prefer to just stick to magic."

"I know what you mean, bud, I know what you mean," Sonic sighed. As he gazed toward the center of town, he saw Tahra approaching, wearing a similar outfit, except it seemed less formal and more suited for travelling. As she approached, Tails noticed black streaks on her cheeks.

"Well, if it isn't the successor," Sonic said snarkily. "Glad to see you're the punctual type." Tails, on the other hand, approached the girl with a more empathic expression.

"You seem upset, my Lady. Is something the matter?" he asked.

"No…I'm fine," Tahra replied, wiping the black streaks away. "The coach should be arriving any minute now."

"…A coach?" Sonic said with a laugh. "If they really wanted you to get to Soleanna, I could get you there before noon!"

"Big words for such a lowly knight," Tahra replied, resuming his usual snarky manner. "Or have you forgotten that Soleanna is nestled in the Duran Mountains? The tunnels leading there are a veritable labyrinth, and I highly doubt you know them."

"Sonic, she's right," Tails replied as a carriage, drawn by strange reptilian beasts, approached. "Without a mole guide you'd get lost in the tunnels there. That's why we take an airship over them."

"Well, I could still get you there faster than that coach could," Sonic replied. "But okay, if you really want to take days to get there…" As the carriage approached, Tahra saw a purple weasel holding the reins, and a white bat poked her head out of the window. The purple hedgehog gasped as she recognized the driver.

"Nack, is that you? My grandmother said you were taken to the monastery!" Tahra exclaimed.

"Well, she had second thoughts after a while. She got me this job as a coach driver, and then called me one day saying she needed a favor. Miss Rouge here has business in Soleanna as well, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone." Nack looked over at Sonic and Tails. "I take it these two fellas are your bodyguards. You really could have picked better ones, I bet."

"What do you know about guarding Lady Tahra, huh?" Sonic replied angrily.

"I used to be a highwayman myself; waylaid my share of coaches in my day. But Lady Tahra here set me on the straight and narrow," Nack replied. "I still know how those fellas tick, of course."

"Quit yammering, we have a long way to go," Rouge interrupted as she opened the carriage door. "Step inside, milady, and we can be on our way." Tahra stepped up and into the carriage.

"You go ahead and sit with her, Tails," Sonic replied. "I can just run alongside the carriage."

"Heh, you must be the son of the wind the old lady warned me about," Nack replied as he whipped the beasts of burden. "I heard you can run around the capital three times in the time it takes to fill a bucket of water."

"Care to see for yourself, weasel?" Sonic smirked.

"You're on, blue boy!" Nack answered with a grin.


	4. Chapter 4: Dragon's Peak

By the time Amey and Shadow returned to the village, the festivities were finished. Vendors were closing up their stalls while children were being herded back to their homes before sunset; performers were breaking down their stages and returning to their usual attire while other residents labored to return the village back to its normal state by taking down decorations.

Amey, amazingly, was able to slip by with her new friend without being noticed. She led him to a house that was noticeably larger and more impressive than the surrounding huts, but was modest nonetheless. But just as they reached the door, the stern voice of an elder called out to the pair.

"Amey Rosel, what is the meaning of this?"

The two turned around and saw an elderly mauve echidna with a long grey beard, robes woven of soft grass and a circlet made of twigs and leaves. He held himself up with a great gnarled staff. It was no mistake: it was the town's local druid.

"Oh…Elder…um…" Amey stammered, trying to think up an excuse.

"What possessed you to leave the village when we were celebrating YOUR success?" the druid replied in a much more pleasant tone, patting her on the back before noticing Shadow. "Oh, I see you've brought a visitor. Your attire suggests that you come from far away, traveler. Pray, what brings you to this humble village?"

"I met Amey while I was wandering," Shadow replied, still perfectly using the language of the western continent. "My reasons for it are my own."

"Well, you have actually come at a very opportune time, traveler. Amey will ascend the peak to the west to meet with a very important individual. However, as of late the peak has become infested with terrible beasts. I can sense that you are a strong warrior."

"You want me to accompany her on her little trip?" Shadow replied. "You seem to be awfully trusting. I was expecting you to be suspicious of strangers."

"Amey may be young, but her blood makes her a very good judge of character," the druid replied. "I believe that she would not have brought you here if she did not trust you." Amey blushed in response to this praise.

"The individual Amey will meet with is very wise," the druid continued. "Perhaps he will provide you the answers that you seek. You are welcome to stay the night at her home. But you will be leaving at the break of dawn, so rest well."

"Thank you, Elder! I'll make sure he doesn't cause trouble! Have a good night!" Amey said a little loudly and nervously. She quickly opened the door, yanked Shadow inside, and closed the door behind her.

"That echidna was very trusting," Shadow replied as he stepped into the main room of the house. It was a simple, but surprisingly clean environment: slabs of flat stone covered the floor, and the walls were made of similar rock, but it possessed an unusual sheen, the side effect of a spell that made the rock extremely sturdy and difficult to break. A simple wooden ladder rose from the bottom floor to the top, the latter of which was made of rigid leaves, enchanted by the same magic. A large metal pot hung over a pile of fire wood, which was under a tall chimney.

"No, this is really unlike him," Amey replied. "He's always been very suspicious of outsiders. The only reason he was welcoming at all was because it was festival day…in fact, that's the nicest he's ever been to me at all. The rest of the village has been nice to me, but the elder…never mind. Let me go get my guest hammock."

"You live alone here?" Shadow asked. "You seem awfully young to be living alone."

"My mother died from the strains of giving birth to me," the pink hedgehog replied, "…And I've never met my father. I was raised by the rest of the village."

Shadow pondered his own "parent" as he heard this…

_Hedgehog, why do you insist on defying me? My people are to stay asleep until the time is right! Yet you woke Maria!_

_Please forgive me, my lord, it was a moment of weakness. I only wanted to be her friend!_

_You are a weapon of war, hedgehog! You are your only friend…_

_No! I…I…_

_It was foolish to give you so much free will. However, if you truly wish to be independent, then go. Leave this island and never return! You are no longer welcome here!_

_But Doctor…_

"…Shadow?" Amey said as she came back down with a spare hammock, snapping Shadow out of his reverie.

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking," the black hedgehog replied.

"Don't overstrain yourself. Get some rest," Amey giggled as she ascended the ladder. "If you're hungry, I have some dried galf beast meat in my pantry. I never did like the stuff."

* * *

><p>Dawn came, and the two hedgehogs departed quietly for the peak to the west. Once they were far enough away, Shadow once again told Amey of all his knowledge of the outside world. He told her of the Imperium and of the many islands off the main continents, and of how both powers were ruled. Amey took in all this information intently. After a good five hours of travel, they reached the base of the mountain where Ciro, Amey's father, took up residence.<p>

No sooner had they reached the base of the mountain than did they hear an incessant tittering laughter coming from behind some nearby rocks. Out popped a half dozen blood-red, bat-winged creatures about the size of house-cats , all with loathsome visages like a cross between a monkey and a lizard, and each armed with a forked trident.

"…Imps!" Amey exclaimed. "I thought they lived higher up."

Shadow quickly drew his magnum pistol and made two quick shots, blowing the heads off the two imps instantly. But when he tried to fire a third, the gun clicked, indicating it was out of ammo. The imps paused to look down at the headless demon corpses, then continued their advance.

"Crap…that's the last of my ammunition…" Shadow growled. "Guess I better resort to…"

"I can handle this!" Amey cried out. Breathing deeply, she strove to call back the draconic power that the strange elixir from the day before had granted her. Just like before, wings began to form on her back. But this time there was virtually no pain, and the process was much quicker. Shadow fell backwards in shock when he saw the massive pair of wings on Amey's back. The imps were also terrified and halted their charge. Amey grinned and inhaled, feeling the flames build up within her. However, it was more of a tickle than a burning sensation. She breathed out a flaming blast from her mouth that incinerated the four remaining imps, reducing them to piles of ash and cinder.

"Phew…that's my shot for the day," Amey panted. "I just hope there aren't more of them further up."

"Amey…how…how did you…those wings…breathed fire…" Shadow stammered. He had never heard of any hedgehog being able to perform the feats Amey just did.

"Oh…I guess I never told you, huh?" she replied. "You see, my father is a dragon, and he's the one who lives on this peak. He can explain more. C'mon, we still have to climb this thing!" With that, she began flapping her wings and took to the air.

* * *

><p>The ascent up Ciro's mountain domain was surprisingly easy. The imps that Amey had incinerated were the most dangerous creatures, and the other, less demonic beasts fled at the sight of the winged hedgehog flying upwards. As the sun reached its peak around noon, the two arrived at the summit, where they found a massive topaz-colored dragon with black horns on his head and ridges all along his scaly body, sunning himself. Stretching forty feet from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, this was truly a sight to behold.<p>

"…Father!" Amey exclaimed, knowing immediately that this was her father. "Father, wake up!" One of the dragon's eyes opened up, revealing an eye that was like a perfectly smooth topaz. Letting out a long deep yawn, the dragon got to its feet, and opened its wings, which stretched almost twice its body length from tip to tip.

"…Hm?" Ciro looked around, then down at his feet to see the two hedgehogs looking up at him. As soon as he saw Amey, his tired expression turned to a kind smile that nonetheless looked unsettling on his reptilian visage. "Oh, I'm sorry for dozing off. I was expecting you today, but I just got back from a long hunting trip and was rather tired…" But then Ciro turned to Shadow, and his pleasant expression turned grimmer. "You…are you my daughter's bodyguard? I was told she would be coming alone." The dragon lowered his head and took a deep whiff of Shadow.

"Father, Shadow…"

"…is an artificial being," Ciro finished grimly. "He does not smell like any kind of natural being, Mobian, animal or monster." Amey looked at Shadow in the same look of shock that he had displayed in response to her dragon wings and flaming breath. "So it seems the race of humans was not destroyed as the legends say. But here before me stands one of their abominations. Amey, why are you associating with a minion of the demonic humans?"

"Father, I…" Amey stammered.

"Dragon," Shadow interrupted. "I was rejected by the ruler of mankind, and was left to wander this world. While I once did fight for mankind, I am no longer their servant."

Ciro took another whiff of Shadow at which point his expression softened, but gave a simple nod, as if acknowledging the truth of the black hedgehog's words. But after a moment, he continued to speak.

"Amey, the appearance of your friend is not coincidence. During my long hunt I encountered red, egg-shaped machines armed for war marching across the landscape…"

"Egg-shaped machines…" Shadow thought. "They were made by the Doctor. He must be making his move now that I'm not around to question him."

"As your first task as Dragonspeaker," Ciro continued, "convey this warning to the Druidic Council: the humans that were thought to have been eliminated are sending their troops to conquer the Druid-dom and steal its resources."

"Yes, father," Amey replied, bowing respectfully before the dragon turned to Shadow.

"And you, Shadow…I appoint you my daughter's personal bodyguard. She is a capable warrior in her own right, but the journey is long, and a single burst of fire in a single day will not be enough to keep her safe. To aid you in your task, I will provide you with a weapon." With that, he turned around, barely avoiding smashing the two hedgehogs with his tail and entered the cave.

"Where's he going?" Shadow asked. "He said he was going to give me a weapon."

"He's got to dig it out of his treasure hoard," Amey explained. "Dragons are responsible for keeping the treasures from past wars safe, lest we are overcome by greed and stray away from the way of nature."

Just as she finished that statement, Ciro returned with a sheathed katana with a beautifully crafted leather and velvet scabbard, complete with shoulder strap hanging from one of his nails. He laid it down on the ground, and Shadow approached it in order to draw the blade.

"This sword was entrusted to me by an Imperial soldier who forsook violence to live peacefully on the peak. I do not know what caused his sudden change of heart, but I can only assume it gnawed away at his soul until death claimed him. Take it, and use to protect the innocent and the weak as well as my daughter."

Shadow was uninterested in the story of the blade, and rather took it up and began swinging it, before testing it on a nearby rock. The combination of the blade's sheer keenness, the impromptu tempering from the dragon's fire, and his own great strength caused the blade to cleanly slice the rock in two.

"Marvelous…now this is a sword…" Shadow said with a smile just before hearing the last part of Ciro's story. "…Oh, of course; I'll make sure no harm comes to your daughter."

"Don't worry, Father, we'll be fine," Amey reassured Ciro.

"The capital lies far to the west. While I could bring you there myself, I must stay to continue my vigil over the lands surrounding my lair. In the next area over, do say hello to Dizajt. His lair is at the edge of the great river that divides the continent. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some more sunning to do." Without another world, the dragon laid back down and closed his eyes, and immediately began snoring, the rumble sounding throughout the mountain.


	5. Chapter 5: Imperium Stories

Haishin quickly understood the gravity and importance of his father's position as Emperor as he accompanied him throughout his affairs for the day. It was early afternoon, and he was sitting next to his father as he listened to a messenger deliver some grim news from the southern border to the council, delivered by carrier pigeon.

"Even with the reinforcement of the Knights of Dae'Nai, our hold on the southern border slips more and more with each passing day. We fear what will happen if we remain any longer, but we will hold our ground for as long as you will it," the messenger read emotionlessly.

Emperor Cormag pondered this news with a grim expression. Immediately, a fat pig Mobian with a scruffy chin rose to his feet.

"Your Majesty, we have to hold on for as long as we can! If we don't, we'll lose the mines, and they're still producing valuable…"

"I've been plenty accommodating to hold on your precious gold mines, Duke Reeb. The monsters themselves place no value in gold, as they only revel in destruction and mayhem. I order a full-scale withdrawal from the southern border to the Convall Pass. As for any citizens living in the area, I order a complete evacuation of the area of as many of them as possible, even if they have to be forced from their homes." Finally, Haishin spoke up after being silent for almost the entire day, standing up to do so.

"And what of the miners who earned their living working in Duke Reeb's mines? What will they do?" the prince spoke.

"I will send them Duke Acorn's way. The mithril vein that was discovered there is in need of additional workers; the fact that it is aboveground will make their labor the slightest bit more tolerable this time of year. Their families will be given new homes as well." A chipmunk Mobian noble at the far end of the table smirked, while Duke Reeb scowled and took his seat.

"…But what about their old homes? What of those who can't be moved?" Haishin continued.

"Haishin, I'll discuss that with you at a later time," Emperor Cormag replied calmly. "Sit down."

"Yes, father," Haishin sighed as he sat back down. He looked over at Duke Acorn, the chipmunk Mobian, who gave him a reassuring smile, as if promising to take good care of the soon-to-be displaced workers. Haishin knew that of all the council members, he alone still had a shred of decency. The other nobles were scrambling to keep their holdings and enrich themselves with little to no regard to those who owed allegiance to them. His uncle, the head of the council and second in line for the throne, was off somewhere else that day…

* * *

><p>"I must thank you again for your generous donation of territory to build my laboratory, Duke Woren-Ve," the white, caped echidna said to the red, long-quilled hedgehog in noble garb as they gazed out at a wide plain from a grassy hill. "It will be perfect!"<p>

"May I remind you, Finitevus;" the duke replied coldly, "that you must fulfill your end of our bargain?"

"Of course, I know. I'll be more than happy to oblige, my friend," Finitevus replied with a smile and chuckle, putting his arm around the frowning duke. "I have my own issues with the Imperial family, as well as that paragon of ignorance, Ilsea-Ka."

"Yes…banned from the Imperial academy for your experiments, and deemed a heretic and wanted criminal by the church…do get your arm off me," Woren replied, still retaining his cold demeanor. The scientist did so and then reached for a small pouch attached to his belt, and opened it. He removed a small black cube etched with light blue lines from the pouch, and heaved it as hard as he could in the direction of the meadow. The duke gave Finitevus a puzzled look.

"Just watch," Finitevus said. The cube landed a thousand yards from the base of the hill, rolled forward a bit and then came to a stop. It trembled a bit, then, with almost explosive force, began to expand and shape itself. The duke's jaw dropped as he saw the once pebble-sized cube grow larger and larger, consuming more of the meadow with every passing second. As it grew, it assumed the shape of a metallic castle, with towers rising to the heavens, windows forming on their own, and various defense systems seemingly growing from nothing. In a matter of minutes, the cube had become a towering magi-tech fortress that rivaled any building in the capital in sheer size, while entire underground systems had dug themselves into the dirt.

"I've seen plenty of those portable bases during my war days…but this is…"

"…A special model I made for myself," the echidna scientist said with pride. "It took me years to figure out how to have the cube not weigh the same amount as the castle. Of course, a model like this will be impossible to mass-produce."

"Well, it saves me the pain of getting my serfs to work on construction," the duke replied. "Perhaps you are not as vile as they say."

"Vile? My experiments have been for the advancement of all…bah, you would not understand my true genius. But you will have your weapons. Now if you'll excuse me…" Finitevus closed his cape and disappeared in a brief flash of light and heat.

* * *

><p>It was all too easy for the young hedgehog, now nearing his eleventh birthday, scurrying across ledges and avoiding the palace guards. With his sister gone for who knows how long, and his grandmother off on her own business for the day, he was free to do whatever he wanted. And what he loved doing most was seeing what he could break into. He had never stolen or broken anything (intentionally), and the fact that he was the grandson of the High Priestess gave him a sort of immunity from the wrath of the palace guard.<p>

While skulking on the balcony looking over the grand ballroom that day, he saw the maids working hard at setting up for what could only be a grand feast. But it was no party for nobles. He smelled the smells of food from the street vendors coming from the kitchen mixed with the smells of normal regal feasts, and grinned. His idea was coming true: a feast held for the common people of the capital, a banquet where the people would be able to directly reward from their labor in the fields and farms.

He had proposed the idea to his grandmother, who most likely passed it on to the emperor. As he gazed out at the sight, he didn't notice the presence of a large crocodile Mobian behind him, tapping his foot impatiently. Only after a moment did he realized that he had been caught.

"Commander Vector!" he yelped.

"Dang it, Mikael-Jo, what am I gonna do with you?" the crocodile, dressed in elegant but practical guardsman gear and carrying a rather large halberd, groaned. "Her Holiness really needs to be stricter with you. I've lost count of how many times you've been caught sneaking around. If you weren't her grandson, you'd be rotting away in prison by now."

"It's not my fault I'm so good at it. You're the only one that can catch me!" Mikael beamed.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, kid. Come on, I have to file my report."

"Why can't I stay and watch?" the hedgehog replied. "The feast for the commoners was my idea, you know!" This statement gave Vector pause.

"You're telling me that a privileged shrimp like you came up with this idea?" Vector asked with great skepticism.

"…Yeah! It's so unfair that the rich people always get to have parties," Mikael answered. "So why not let the not-rich people have a party for once? That's why I came up with the idea." Vector's stern expression melted to a small but genuine smile.

"You know, kid, I never pegged you as the generous type. But you really ARE Her Holiness' grandkid."

"Hehe, thanks!" Mikael replied as he began to step away. But to his dismay, Vector still grabbed him by the arm and started to drag him away.

"But you're still coming with me."

"Not fair!" the young hedgehog whined.


	6. Chapter 6: Truth of Priestess

The first two days of travel had been relatively uneventful. Sonic and Tails mostly kept to themselves, while Nack and Rouge kept Tahra company as they rode along the well-traveled road. The weather had been cooperating for most of the time, but now a thunderstorm was brewing overhead, and the nearest town was still a good twenty miles away.

"Ugh, looks like it's gonna be raining fish and frogs any minute now," Nack said with a frown, looking up at the cloud-covered sky. "We'll have to hustle to the tunnel if we want to get out of the rain."

"Hey, this is what you get for taking it slow!" Sonic jeered. "She'd probably be finished with her business in Soleanna by now if I had just taken her there."

Unfortunately, their chatter had caught the attention of someone, causing all of them to stop dead in their tracks. From the surrounding forest, cruel laughter of varying pitches could be heard. A few moments later, a dozen bandits of varying Mobian races stepped out, each one armed with a weapon. Their leader, a hulking, eye-patched hyena Mobian armed with a very large axe, stepped forward.

"Well, look who we got 'ere. If it ain't the old boss!" the head bandit chuckled. "And from the looks of that coach, you're hauling quite a passenger. Tahra, wondering what was going on, poked her head off the carriage window. Another bandit, a frog Mobian with a large knife, jumped with excitement.

"Hey, boss! That's the old High Priestess' grandkid! Who would have thought we'd see her again?" The hyena looked at Tahra, who suddenly froze up with fear, recognizing the bandit leader's face. As he approached her, Sonic suddenly zipped in front of him, his sword drawn.

"Keep your grimy claws off her," he said with uncharacteristic seriousness. The hyena looked at Sonic and laughed.

"Wow, they really must be hurting for help if they're sending the runts of the litter to guard her. Okay, runt, I'll play with you for a minute. Boys, have fun with these blokes, but leave the little heiress unharmed. I don't want her pretty face hurt or anything." The remaining bandits chuckled unnervingly and closed in, approaching slowly to induce fear. Nack tried to spur on the reptilian beasts of burden, but they too were too frightened to move. Frustrated, Nack stood up and removed a pair of pistols from two holsters on his belt and aimed them at the bandits. Rouge dove out of the other window of the wagon and drew a pair of knives. Tails was also paralyzed with fear, but shook it off when he heard Sonic call to him.

"…Tails, get Lady Tahra somewhere safe. We'll keep these idiots busy."

Tails opened the coach door and yanked the still paralyzed Tahra from her seat and pulled away from the group. One of the bandits noticed this, even in spite of the tense inaction of the moment.

"Okay, two of you can go and find 'em," the bandit leader said, still not taking his eyes off Sonic. Two of the bandits broke off, still leaving the battle as ten against three. With that, the hyena raised his axe and swung it at the blue hedgehog. Sonic easily dodged it, though it ended up striking the coach wheel and chopping it clean in two. The other bandits let out a frightful war cry and rushed at the two experienced Knights of Marduk.

Nack let off a pair of shots, felling a blue crow Mobian immediately, then kicked aside a green chameleon bandit before blasting him in the head. Rouge sidestepped a sword swing from a fox Mobian, and kicked him in the chin, slicing his throat as he staggered backward.

Undeterred by the loss of three of their number, the other six swarmed Rouge and Nack, managing to overwhelm them quickly by pinning them down. Sonic, who had confidently dodging the leader's swings, suddenly saw this turn of events and briefly dropped his guard. The bandit leader saw the opening and delivered a powerful haymaker with his free hand, knocking Sonic into the air.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Tails and Tahra had put some significant distance between them and the furious melee going on behind them. They stopped in front of a large oak tree to catch their breath for a moment, unaware of their pursuers. Tahra's foot accidentally brushed something, and gasped when she saw what it was: a corpse of some unknown Mobian who had been impaled in the pelvis by a rusted, but well-crafted white-hafted spear. She recognized the few remaining scraps of clothing as those of a Knight of Dae'Nai.<p>

Before she had too much time to consider, the two pursuing bandits, a cat and wolf Mobian, each armed with an oaken cudgel, caught up to them. The cat smacked Tails aside, while the wolf rushed on the priestess-to-be, hoping to knock her out. With a shriek, Tahra instinctively drew the spear from the corpse and jabbed it at her attacker. The unwitting bandit was going too fast to stop, and found himself impaled through the chest. As his life quickly left him, he wasted his energy trying to pull himself off the spear's head. When he did, he expired. Tahra, still in panic mode, turned the bloodied lance on the cat Mobian, who suddenly turned tail and ran. Tails, groaning from the blow, got up and saw his charge standing there, expertly holding the spear, her face wearing an expression of panicked madness. After a moment, Tahra paused and looked down at the wolf bandit's corpse. Her fear at being harmed turned to horror when she realized what she had done.

"Did I…did I…kill him?" she gasped. "I…killed someone." Tails, who was used to the idea of killing in self-defense, tried to change the subject.

"Lady Tahra, I didn't know you could wield a lance," he said.

"Milos, I killed him! I've murdered someone!" she wailed, throwing the lance aside and dropping to her knees, sobbing.

"My Lady, you are no murderer," the two-tailed fox reassured her. "You were only protecting yourself from an enemy who would do you harm. Besides, he was a criminal and likely took many innocent lives."

Tahra shook her head. "But he was still a Mobian like you or I…he…"

Tails grabbed the hedgehog's shoulders to calm her down. "Lady Tahra, in my opinion, a Mobian who enjoys the suffering of innocents ceases to be a true Mobian." Those words seemed to put the panicking hedgehog at ease at last. Tahra looked back at the bloodied, white-hafted spear she had thrown aside. She picked it up again, wiped off the blood with some of the corpse's rags, and jabbed it into the ground before kneeling down for a moment to silently pray to the corpse who had provided the lance that had saved her life. With a newfound resolve, she picked up the lance again and started back toward the coach and the bandits.

"I promise you, on this lance, valiant Knight…I'll make sure that when I am High Priestess, no one will be able to, whether they enjoy it or not, make innocents suffer."

* * *

><p>At the moment Tahra had delivered the fatal blow to one of her pursuers, the tide began to turn in favor of the three remaining guards. Nack and Rouge had managed to finish off or drive away most of the bandits, leaving only Sonic and the leader. While the hedgehog was able to dodge the leader's attacks, the bandit was able to block or dodge Sonic's own swift but unskilled swings.<p>

Suddenly, Sonic saw an opening and took it, striking the hyena in the knee, crippling him. Nack, who had taken aim at the bandit to finish him in one shot, paused and watched. Rouge was about to protest, but Nack silently signaled her not to interfere.

"Looks like I win, big guy," Sonic said with a smirk as he held his sword point to the hyena's throat. "I had a lot of fun tangling with ya, so I'm willing to be merciful. Promise me you'll go straight like your old boss here and I'll let you go."

"You can take yer offer and shove it up yer…" the hyena growled as he tried to grab his axe. Nack, seeing that Sonic's overconfidence might be his end, quickly drew his gun and shot at the hyena's hand. He yowled in pain, clutching the hole in his now-useless hand. Sonic, shocked, looked over at Nack.

"This character is hopeless, kiddo. Banditry and murder is all he knows. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't do anything else but kill and steal. He's killed so many innocent people that even Her Holiness couldn't save his soul."

At that moment, Tahra and Tails returned to the scene. To everyone's shock, the purple hedgehog marched right up to the bandit leader, lance ready to kill again.

"Lady Tahra?" Sonic exclaimed as he watched her carefully aim the lance at the hyena's mouth.

"So…" the hyena chuckled through grunts of pain. "The little lady thinks she's a soldier now. Go ahead and kill me. You'll be juuuuust like me."

"I am NOT LIKE YOU!" she cried out, and jammed the spear into the hyena's mouth so hard it came out the other end, killing the hyena instantly, spurting blood all over. She prepared to thrust again, but Sonic grabbed her.

"Pardon my insolence but WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? You're supposed to be the epitome of mercy and kindness! Get a hold of yourself!" Tahra, who had been overwhelmed by anger and hatred at that moment, quickly realized what she was doing, and retreated.

"I'm sorry…it's just that I…" Tahra gasped.

"That's enough, kid," Nack replied. "She had every right to do what she did."

"What?" Sonic exclaimed. "Killing someone who couldn't even defend himself?"

Nack sighed at his response.

"That kid doesn't understand at all, does he?" he thought.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, the coach had a spare wheel, but by the time the damaged wheel had been removed and the spare put in its place, the thunderstorm broke loose. Sonic and Tails were invited inside the rather spacious coach for shelter from the storm. It was then that Tahra explained her actions.<p>

"When I was five, that hyena and his bandits, at the behest of someone, kidnapped me. I don't really remember what happened between the time I was brought to their employer and my rescue, but I never forgot that hyena's face and voice. Just seeing him paralyzed me with fear. Then when Tails took me away from them, two of the bandits attacked us. The lance I had used to kill him first tasted the blood of one of my pursuers. When I realized that I wasn't a murderer for killing out of self-defense, I guess I thought I could kill him out of revenge."

"It happens to the best of us, milady," Rouge replied with a nod. "We all secretly wish, deep down in the depths of our souls, that we could finish off people who tormented us. Most people don't get that opportunity like you did. If blue boy here hadn't crippled him for you, he would have grabbed you and run off."

"Even so, he still deserved a chance to make up for it, even if he never actually could," Sonic argued. "There's no one in the world that doesn't deserve that chance."

"You've obviously never heard of Dr. Finitevus, have you?" Rouge replied. Sonic pondered this for a moment, but shrugged to indicate that he was indeed ignorant of the echidna scientist.

"Wow, what rock have you been living under?" Rouge said with sardonic surprise. "Finitevus is one of the most skilled practitioners of technomancy, perhaps the greatest of all time. Of course, he's an absolute maniac whose experiments not only toy with innocent lives, but have resulted in almost causing several catastrophes. The Imperial Academy ultimately stripped him of his tenure there, and your grandmother has promised that whoever brings him to justice will have a holiday created in their honor. That's how far gone he is."

"Finitevus…he wasn't always like that," Tahra replied. "I remember him being kind and gentle, and full of ideas to advance our civilization. It was only when…" she clutched her head as a loud, long beep filled her head.

"You're finally starting to figure it, my lady?"

"Yes…" Tahra replied. "He…he did…something…" but before she could say another word, Tahra fainted, flopping forward. Sonic looked over at Rouge suspiciously as he helped Tahra back into a reclining position.

"You're not just some random traveler, are you, Miss Rouge?" he said. The white bat was silent for a moment.

"You're not as stupid as you look. Fine, I'll tell you and your two-tailed friend. But if you share this with anyone else, you'll be dead the next morning."

"O-our lips are sealed, Miss Rouge," Tails stammered. The white bat nodded and began.

"When Lady Tahra was young, the bandits we encountered were hired by Dr. Finitevus to capture her so he could experiment on her. A rescue team led by my father managed to locate his castle laboratory and take her home. But by the time they got to her, that mad echidna had already performed numerous experiments on her. She was a shell of a girl who could barely walk, talk, or even control her own basic bodily functions." Sonic was aghast at this story, while Tails felt queasy just hearing it.

"It was a miracle she had lived through it all at that age, and it took months to get her functioning normally again. But apparently it's up to her to undo the remaining damage to her mind, and she has to if she's going to become High Priestess."

Sonic, who had, up to this point, only cared about her out of duty, looked over at the tired girl with true empathy.


	7. Chapter 7: Scientist's Facility

Amey and Shadow returned to the dragonspeaker's home village, but could not stay long, as Ciro's mission bore heavily on them. They decided not to speak of the encroaching threat of mankind, lest they cause a panic among the citizens, but simply said their goodbyes and made promises to return safely. Once Amey had gathered sufficient supplies to get them to the next major region, the pair set out once more, their destination seeming to be impossibly far away.

Two days passed since they first set out on the well-traveled dirt road, and they were relatively uneventful. But on the third day, they reached the bank of a shallow but wide stream with a small bridge over it. Amey stopped, put down her sack of supplies and approached the bank of the stream.

"I'm just going to get a quick drink, okay?" she said before dipping her hands into the water. But no sooner did the first droplet touch her tongue than did she spit it all out. "This water…I don't know what's with it, but it's disgusting!" she exclaimed. Shadow suddenly formed a ball of energy at the tip of his finger, and shot it several dozen yards upstream. The energy ball caused the water to flare up explosively, startling Amy.

"This water's been tainted with something; it's fairly concentrated, too," Shadow said grimly. "If you hadn't spit that out, you would have been dead before tomorrow morning…and anyone else who drank it would have been dead in minutes. I'm amazed it hasn't killed any of the plant life around here yet.

"…Could the humans have already gotten this far in?" Amey said with grave concern. "We have to warn the council…"

"No. There's no time," Shadow replied. "The fact that it's so concentrated at this point means the source isn't far. Come on." With that, he started to the north, where the water was coming from. Amey followed close behind.

It didn't take more than an hour or two for the pair to find the source of the pollution: a large, foreboding metal fortress emblazoned with an insignia resembling a man with a wild, unkempt mustache and a wide, unnerving grin, one that Shadow instantly recognized. The two were hiding behind a large boulder. The stream that issued forth was not the stream that Amey had drank from, but an artificial ditch that poured out filthy, boiling water from a grate just outside.

"So…you've finally made your move, Doctor…" Shadow said.

"…Doctor? Who are you talking about? Is he the one who made you?" Amey asked. Shadow was silent, but the pink hedgehog could tell that she had guessed correctly. Eventually, he gave her an answer.

"The face there is of Doctor Ivo Robotnik, better known as Doctor Eggman. He was once a brilliant, but mad human scientist, but copied his memories and knowledge into an android. He is a master of both robotics and biotechnology, and lives on an artificial island where he watches over the sleep of about 200,000 humans."

"…Two…hundred…thousand?" Amey gasped. "I never knew there were so many!"

"Billions of humans once lived on this planet. At last count, there are between five and six million humans in stasis on artificial islands like Eggman's…the last survivors of that horrible day."

"Billions…no wonder they nearly destroyed the world…" the pink hedgehog sighed. "And to think, we're the only ones who know about their imminent return." Amey noticed that Shadow was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation, and decided to drop the subject. "Anyway, how do we get inside and stop the pollution?"

"The fortress is run entirely by a mother computer," Shadow replied, before realizing that much of the terminology he had been using was unfamiliar to this girl who had grown up surrounded by nature. "…That is, a mechanical and electric brain of sorts. We destroy the brain, and we stop the entire base, and the pollution. But it also has a lot of machine guards. They won't be affected by your flames as easily."

"So, how we approach this, then?" Amey asked.

"Hmmm...If the brain is underground like it usually is, then we can probably get there through the pipes."

"You, mean we have to wade through that poisonous water? I'll pass," the pink hedgehog replied with great disapproval. "Let's just go through the main gate, take out the guards, and then smash the brain."

Shadow didn't like that idea either, but he seemed to have yet another plan in mind.

"Amey, I'm going to try something I've only done a few times before, but if it works, it will allow us to get to the center of the fortress easily. Take my hand and don't let go." Amey blushed at this statement, but nervously took hold of Shadow's left hand. The black and red hedgehog closed his eyes and began to concentrate as a massive energy built up within him.

"Chaos…Control!"

Both of them felt their bodies stretch right down at the atomic level, and then accelerated to near-light speed, right into the building.

* * *

><p>The next thing either of them knew, they were inside the building, having passed through several dozen feet of dirt, concrete and metal. They landed safely inside a dimly lit and somewhat dusty hallway, indicating a lack of use.<p>

"Shadow…what did you do? That was…incredible…" Amey said with shock, still a bit woozy from the sudden acceleration and deceleration. The black hedgehog, on the other hand, was completely out of breath and barely able to stand up, though he was very much alive.

"Chaos Control…I'll explain after…" Shadow gasped, "…This is all over…just let me, rest a moment." There was once again silence between the two, save for the sound of Shadow's heavy breathing. Amey took this time to get her bearings.

A ladder extended upwards for at least a hundred feet, ending in what appeared to be some sort of hatch. The other end of the hallways led into total darkness. Amey's dragon blood enabled her to see better in the dim light, but even that was limited. She felt around the hallways and felt some cables along the walls, covered in a strong plastic coating.

Curious as to where they led, she decided to follow the cables into the darkness, leaving the still resting Shadow behind, her hand remaining in contact with the cables at all times. As she followed them, she noticed the number of cables increase more and more until it seemed like the entire upper part of the wall was covered in them. She also began to hear the sound of whirring fans and the rush of water. Soon enough, she came to a large metal door with the words "Warning: Access Restricted" in the human language. Unfamiliar with the letters, she had no clue as to whether she was going the right way.

"…Amey!" Shadow called out suddenly. She turned around and saw Shadow running up to her, looking very angry with her.

"Don't wander off like that," he scolded her. "In all likelihood, the brain knows we're here and has notified the guards, and probably has some defenses ready."

"Huh? I didn't hear any sort of alarm," Amey replied innocently, shrugging her shoulders.

"Let's get this over with before the guards arrive." Shadow grumbled, approaching a control console for the doors, while Amey looked over the door, vainly trying to force it open. Unlike most password doors, it was arranged not with a simple numeric keypad, but more along the lines of a typical computer keyboard. Shadow looked at the console, squinted at it for a moment, then punched in a sequence of letters, reading "Emperor Eggman". The sound of air pressure being released issued forth, and the metal doors opened.

"Um…how did you make the door open?" the pink hedgehog asked. "All you did was poke at those lights…"

"Just come on, and keep your guard up," Shadow replied, annoyed at his companion's constant questions. They ran down the long hallway that the door revealed, and found a vast chamber at the end. A myriad of computer monitors, CPU towers and cables were laid all over the room, surrounding a large central tower. As soon as they set foot inside the room, another set of metal doors slammed closed behind them.

Suddenly, the central tower opened a hatch and projected a blue, holographic image of something: an egg-shaped human with long gangly legs and an impressive but unkempt mustache, wearing thick goggles, tights and a long-sleeved coat with large brass buttons and other decorations.

"My, my, I didn't expect to see you again so soon, hedgehog," a voice, also issuing from the central tower, spoke. Shadow recognized both the image and voice, though Amey did not. "I see you've survived your little trip across the ocean. I should have expected no less from my greatest creation!"

"You must be Doctor Eggman…" Amey said. "You're polluting the water in the area! Stop it now, or we'll smash this room to bits!"

"And who is this, hedgehog?" the hologram said, finally noticing the pink hedgehog. "I see you've found some companionship. Good for you! She seems to mean business, but I can't understand a word she's saying! A moment, while I start up the translator function." The hologram leaned forward, and seemed to be pressing buttons.

"Doctor, she's right," Shadow replied. "The runoff from the cooling systems has been polluting the water, and it's going to kill everything in the area if something isn't done!"

"Fine, fine," the hologram of Eggman replied dismissively, "I'll have a cleanup crew fix whatever leak must have sprung when I find the time. I'm a very busy scientist, you know. By the way, I'm afraid you'll have to find your own way out…assuming you can survive the defense system! Ta-ta!" With that, the hologram disappeared just as it was letting out a belly laugh. Moments later, numerous armored turrets dropped down from the ceiling near the central tower, which then put up a glowing blue barrier around itself as well as all the other computer towers.

"Um…Shadow…what are those?" Amey said uneasily, pointing at the turrets.

"…Enough with the questions, damn it!" Shadow cried out. As he screamed, all of the turrets opened fire. Both hedgehogs instinctively jumped out of the way, and rushed behind separate computer towers. The bullets bounced off the barriers harmlessly, but still both hedgehogs feared for their lives.

"Damn it," Shadow thought. "There's no way I can dodge them all without…no, I just used one a little while ago…I can't afford to risk using it again…no, I have no choice…"

Shadow drew the katana and began concentrating, as a massive amount of energy built up within him.

"Chaos…Control!"

This time, Shadow did not stretch out as normal. Instead, all of his surroundings inverted colors and quickly halted, right down to the bullets stopping mid-flight. Using the limited amount of "time" this version of his power to the best of his ability, he quickly rushed around the room, slashing each of the turrets once. With only a few "seconds" to spare, he delivered a spinning slash to the last of them. As time resumed normally, all of the turrets fell apart almost simultaneously. To Amey, Shadow had disappeared for a split second, reappeared in front of her, and all of the turrets suddenly fell apart. The black hedgehog, exhausted from having used Chaos Control twice in such a short period, slumped over and drifted into unconsciousness.

Fearing the worst, Amey shook him, then rolled him over and put her ear to his chest, with a flutter in her own as well. To her relief, she could hear the beating of his heart. With the turrets out of the way, all that remained was the well-protected, but still defenseless central tower. She dragged him toward the wall and laid him there before returning to the central tower.

She poked and prodded at the barrier for a minute or two, but could find no way to break through it. She then turned to one of the monitors, where another keyboard was next to. Figuring she could solve out the problem by pressing the buttons, she started to do so, randomly pressing buttons. She did for several minutes without any results. As time passed, her mere pressing of buttons eventually gave way to her slamming his fists on the keyboard in sheer frustration, and eventually, her hand struck a small red button just next to the keyboard itself that had the words "Emergency System Shutdown". Much of the whirring and humming of the various computer towers, as well as the barriers, ceased as the entire facility died down. Moments later, a few red emergency lights flickered on.

"I think I did it!" Amey cheered. "I stopped the barriers; Now to smash that central tower!" She turned right around and walked toward the central tower. Once again, she brought forth her dragon wings, and inhaled deeply, before belching out another blast of fire, this time condensed into a single fireball. To her dismay, the central tower didn't even look singed by the blast. Just then, the monitor she had just been typing at hummed back to life, and an image of Doctor Eggman appeared on screen. His skin was pale, whil his mustache was colored like red earth, and his coat was red with large, shiny brass buttons.

"Well, it seems you've managed to deactivate my facility temporarily," he said, this time remembering to activate the translation program, allowing his voice to be translated into Amey's native language. "But all you've really done is attract my attention, hedgehog. But I must say that I'm very interested in you now. Tell me, how is it that a dragon and a hedgehog can produce a child? I can only assume you're some sort of outcast, with wings like that!"

Amey scoffed at the scientist. The village had never persecuted her for her dragon blood. Sure, she had been viewed differently her whole life, but they never meant any harm. Unbeknownst to her, Shadow was starting to come around.

"Even if you weren't, I doubt you'll be well-received anywhere else. People will fear you and call you a monster, unworthy of anyone's caring or affection. Even, Shadow, a being born entirely from a test tube, must fear you!"

"Shut your mouth! I've had enough of you!" the pink hedgehog cried out.

"Oh come now, I did not mean to insult you. I am merely stating the facts of the nature of intelligent beings. You Mobians, as you call yourselves, exhibit so many similar traits to your human forebears."

Amey was now too angry to counter that. She was about to furiously attack the screen, when it suddenly blinked out. She turned around to see the central tower sliced in several pieces, and Shadow, good as new, sheathing the katana.

"Don't let the Doctor get to you. He is…no…WAS extremely smart, but to the point of being insane."

"But he compared us Mobians to the demonic humans!" the pink hedgehog retorted. Shadow, who had been mostly calm and composed at this point, finally snapped, getting right up in Amey's face, his eyes burning with indignation.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU AND YOUR CONSTANT SLANDER OF HUMANS! WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU? THEY WERE NEARLY DRIVEN TO EXTINCTION BEFORE MOBIANS EVEN EXISTED! SHUT UP ABOUT IT! **SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH ABOUT IT BEFORE I SMASH…**"

Amey, not used to seeing anyone, especially Shadow, this angry, was absolutely terrified. Her wings retracted, and she stumbled backwards, her back slamming against one of the dead computer towers, tears welling up in her eyes. When Shadow saw this, he calmed down and turned away.

"I-I-I'm sorry…I didn't know you actually…" Amey sniffled.

"No…I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I can't blame you for being raised to think the way you do. It's just that…I'll explain later, let's get out of here. There's no way the guards will be able to repair the brain of this facility now."


	8. Chapter 8: Airship Travel

The coach finally reached its destination after another day of travel. A massive mountain range had been looming in the distance now towered over the coach. Sonic soon realized just how impassable these mountains really were. They were jagged, craggy, and snow-covered. Even if he was agile enough to climb them, it would be a mostly vertical climb, while he was far better at moving horizontal distances.

"Well, here we are, ladies and gentlemobians," Nack quipped as he stopped the coach by yanking on the reins of the reptilian beasts of burden. "The airship port is right over there."

Tails' eyes widened with awe as he got his first look at a real airship: it was a sleek, egg-shaped balloon with a large cabin attached to it. Several additional propellers jutted out from the rigging surrounding the balloon itself, while its primary propellers were attached to the main cabin.

"So, that's an airship, huh?" Sonic said, mildly impressed. "I guess those techno-magi know their stuff."

"Yep," Rouge replied as she got out of the wagon and helped the still shaky Tahra out. "Those airships are the key to the Imperium's military superiority, as well as its ability to engage in long-distance commerce. There are few places we can't go in one of these."

"But if it's a balloon, won't it pop if something sharp punctures it?" Tails asked with concern.

"Like blue boy said, the techno magi know their stuff," Rouge answered. "You don't have to worry your little head about some silly bird flying into it and popping it with its beak. It's not like those balloons you for those middle-class birthday parties. It would take some serious weaponry to puncture it."

"Hey, Nack, will you be joining us?" Tahra asked. "Or do you have other jobs to do?"

"Your grandma is paying me big, big money to see you home safely," the weasel replied as he handed the coach to a turtle Mobian, who slowly began to lead the beasts to a safe stable. "I'll stick around to make sure of that." Rouge grumbled under her breath at this response.

The group approached the counter, which was manned by a female cat Mobian, who recognized the attire of the high priestess' granddaughter and began to act in an excited manner.

"Oh! You must be Lady Tahra-Fi! We've been eagerly awaiting your arrival! Please, right this way!" The group followed the cat Mobian to a much larger, more elaborate-looking airship. This one not only had numerous propellers, but had a few turrets along the rigging to defend against aerial attackers, such as flying monsters. The cat Mobian let the group through a small gate toward a burly bear Mobian in piloting gear, complete with goggles. While he let Tahra, Tails, Sonic, and Rouge through, he held his hand out when Nack's turn to enter came.

"Sorry, no low-borns on this flight," the bear said stoically. Rouge smirked a bit, finally having Nack out of her hair.

"Hey! He's with us!" Sonic complained. "What's wrong with him being on the airship?"

"Please let him on, Captain," Tahra replied. "He's a good friend of mine, and I promise he won't cause any trouble." The bear looked at the priestess-to-be, then back to Nack.

"…Fine. But if we catch you doing anything the slightest bit suspicious, we're leaving you on top of the mountain. Understand, weasel?" the bear growled. Nack, used to this sort of treatment, nodded dismissively. The bear stepped aside and let Nack on.

"It's not fair," the blue hedgehog growled. "Why the hell do we have this stupid 'high-born, low-born' system anyway? Why can't people be judged on how they act, not what they're born as?"

Tahra couldn't help but be slightly moved by Sonic's continuing idealism and smiled a bit. The bear Mobian led the group to the lounge, where they were surprised to find that someone else was already there: a brown-robed, grey hedgehog that, in spite of his apparent advanced years, was full of vigor and energy.

"Brother Hasdi-El, you are being honored by the presence of the heiress to Her Holiness." The monk smiled, and bid the purple hedgehog to sit down next to him. He seemed to radiate a kindness she had only felt from her grandmother with his smile.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to be with this fellow alone," Tahra said to the others. "Feel free to wander about the ship. It will only be a few hours before we arrive in Soleanna." Uneasily, all four of them nodded and went their separate ways. As the airship's engine hummed to life, Tahra addressed the kindly monk.

"Tell me, Brother, what order are you from; The Marians? The Zephelians? Please, tell me!"

"My order did not pride itself with a name. It was entirely in thrall to the Goddess. Alas, I am the last survivor, as we were attacked by bandits several years ago. I have been wandering the world since then."

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Tahra said, ashamed of having to bring up what must have been a painful subject.

"Death is inevitable in this world, yet always brings pain, doesn't it, Lady Tahra?"

"What?" the purple hedgehog asked, confused by this sudden change in subject.

"And so much death is brought about because of the most foolish and meaningless of things," he continued. "I would so like to see a world where all that would cease."

"We can't change our nature that easily," Tahra replied. "As long as we have free will, we will have the choice to resolve things peacefully or through war. Our only hope is that one day we will wise up and learn to resolve matters peacefully."

"But through my wanderings, I have lost more and more hope of that," Hasdi said dejectedly. "But you…as soon as I laid eyes on you, my hope for a better world returned. I know you will do great things as High Priestess. You will bring about the peace and order this world so desperately needs."

"No…I'm nothing compared to my grandmother," Tahra said, blushing in embarrassment at the praise the monk was laying on her. The ship was nearly able to fly over the peaks of the mountains.

"Did you not see how that giant of a bear Mobian so easily let your weasel friend on the ship? You may still be young, but you possess an ability to win people over through your own sincerity. Rulers these days control others through lies, deception, and trickery. They do not deserve their positions. But you…people willingly obey you because they can see how correct you are. In fact, I might dare say you deserve to be both High Priestess and Empress of the world." Tahra quickly felt uneasy. This monk seemed to know her too well. Was he able to read into her mind, or even her soul? Did he possess some knowledge of her? It didn't matter. She had to get away from him for the moment.

"Please excuse me, Brother; I just realized that I have some other matters to attend to," the purple hedgehog said as she quickly left the room. The monk bowed his head and slowly faded from the chamber.

* * *

><p>Sonic was having a quick snooze on a bench in the hallway when Tahra stopped and sat down next to him. The slight bending of the bench roused the napping hedgehog from his slumber. The ship had just reached its maximum elevation and slowly began moving forward.<p>

"Oh, you're done talking with that monk already, milady?" Sonic said. "I was just about to take a nap. If you need something, I'll see what I can do…hey, you look kinda spooked."

"I'm sorry…that monk just…never mind," the purple hedgehog replied. "I just got tired of him, I guess." She stood up again, and looked out the window at the tops of the mountains, which were covered in snow. "Is this your first time on an airship, Sir Mauri?"

"Yeah…and just call me Sonic, okay? I HATE my real name." Tahra giggled at this.

"Sure. Sonic it is. So, you like it?"

"The view is nice. But you've never seen how fast I can really go, have you?" the blue hedgehog replied with a smirk. "If it weren't for these high mountains, I could have just taken you to Soleanna in four, maybe five hours…assuming I knew how to get there."

"I have a hard time believing that," Tahra said, reassuming her usual snarkier self. "Even our fastest airships, moving at top speed for the entire time and left at sunrise, would not get to Soleanna by sunset."

"I'm not called the son of the wind for nothing. I'm as fast as it, and until I got stuck in the Knights, I was as free as it. It's nice to have a roof over your head and food in your belly, but I really miss just running across the land, seeing everything as a blur." The blue hedgehog's face smiled as fond memories came back to him." But his expression turned sour again.

"You know...I honestly DO hate taking orders. I want to live my own life without anyone to boss them. In fact, I think everyone should…well, as long as they don't go out of their way to hurt people, like those bandits did."

Tahra nodded and smiled. For one who seemed like a "rogue and a do-nothing", as the Knight Commander has warned her, Sonic was someone who was completely open…a rare honesty and optimism about the world that only her grandmother, the one she idolized, possessed, or so she had once thought.

* * *

><p>Tails, having gotten over the excitement of being on an airship for the first time, was examining the inner workings of the engine. It was a mix of whirling gears, wires crackling with energy, and a single chamber containing what appeared to be some sort of crystal leaf that was crafted almost too perfectly. It was this leaf that enchanted him. One of the crewmen, a cat Mobian, was curious about this two-tailed kid and approached him.<p>

"Hey kid, I see you like the little wonder that makes this thing fly," he said.

"…Yeah! How is it that a simple crystal leaf can power this entire ship?"

"I'm not totally sure of it myself," the crewman replied. "Apparently the leaf can store the sun's rays, and the engine does something to draw that energy out to power the propellers that make this ship fly. It's kind of like a Chaos Emerald, but with a lot less energy."

"…Chaos Emerald?" Tails echoed with curiosity. "Like the one that powers the capital?"

"I guess so. I heard that these crystal leaves and Chaos Emeralds hold a similar origin, but it's all just speculation. Something about a huge tree that the goddess came with when they banished the humans to the underground."

Tails pondered this. He had heard that Soleanna was a kingdom populated entirely by humans; tall, fur-less beings that constantly being called demons, a species that nearly destroyed the world through their uncontrollable appetites. Why would the Church even be on speaking terms with a race of demons? For the first time in years, he doubted the will of the group that had so lovingly raised him when no one else would. But he shook off his doubt and returned his attention to the crystal leaf that shone within the engine…

* * *

><p>After a few hours of flying over the dense range of mountains, Tahra saw the city of Soleanna in the distance. It was quite a sight to behold, even from such a great altitude: it sprawled out for several miles, dense with beautifully constructed buildings built around a great white and gold palace. She could make out bustling activity going on in the streets below: it looked like preparations for some festival; the streets were filled with vendors, decorated garishly. She then noticed a bare, wide open spot that was large enough for the airship to fit, and a crowd had gathered around it.<p>

Were they waiting for her arrival? Wasn't this whole meeting supposed to be a secret? Why was she entering a city of demons, as she had been told of the humans? She had little time to ponder this before one of the crew came up to her.

"Lady Tahra, we will be landing soon. Please return to the center cabin."

"Yes, thank you," she replied. She looked back out the window one last time, and went back into the cabin.

As the ship slowly descended, the priestess-to-be started to hear the sound of the crowd, ever so faintly over the muffled rumble of the engines and the loud whirring of the propellers outside. It grew louder as the ship drew ever closer to the ground. It took a good ten minutes for the ship to safely land, and with the engines off, she could hear the roaring of the crowd. It quickly died down as some loud voices quieted the crowd.

Moments later, Sonic opened the door with his usual smile.

"Your public awaits, milady," the blue hedgehog said with the slightest twinge of sarcasm in his tone. She nodded and followed him to the door, butterflies in her stomach and her entire body tense with anxiety. She nearly leapt out of her skin when Sonic tried to reassure her with a gentle clasp on her shoulder.

"Whoa, calm down… Tails and I will be right next to you. If anyone tries to lay a finger on you, we'll give 'em what's coming to them, right, bud?"

"Of course we will; It's our duty to protect you!" the fox replied enthusiastically, brandishing his staff. With that little bit of reassurance, Tahra looked forward as the doors on the airship slowly opened. This would be the first time she would ever see a human, let alone a crowd of them.

As the trio stepped out of the airship, the crowd began cheering wildly, celebrating the arrival of the young priestess. She looked forward and saw a group of six human knights, covered from head-to-toe in ceremonial armor with sun motifs, towering over her and wielding rather large halberds.

"Are you here to accompany me to the Royal Palace?" she asked. But these people obviously did not understand Common Mobian, and she knew nothing of the human language. Still, they seemed to have that exact goal in mind, and made a protective circle around her and her two companions.

"I guess they are," Sonic replied. "It must be awful hot in that armor, though." The knight just behind him tapped Sonic's foot with the non-pointed end of his weapon, indicating that it was time to go. The trio, with their six bodyguards, marched along the path, as people clamored around them, some trying to get another glimpse of the priestess, other daring to touch her. But the tall armored men did a good, if somewhat forceful, job of keeping them away.

After fifteen minutes or so of this, they arrived at a flight of stairs leading up to the white and gold palace that Tahra had seen from the air, which was almost blinding to look at. When the guards parted, the trio finally got a good look at a human for the first time, and one that would certainly give a good impression.

The red-headed, pretty young woman, dressed in white, lacy garb with a wreath of golden laurels on her head had a kind smile that dispelled any idea of humans being demons from the trio's mind. Her attire strongly suggested that this was Soleanna's ruler, Princess Elise. To Tahra's further surprise, the human princess addressed Tahra in Common Mobian:

"You must be Ilsea's granddaughter. It's nice to meet you."

"You…speak our language?" Tahra replied with surprise."

"Yes. As probably the ruler of the only remaining place where humans live, I'd like to be able to hold a conversation with our Mobian friends and allies. I learned it by listening to my father and your grandmother talk, as well as borrowing one of the schoolbooks the students in the Imperium use. But let's not waste any more time. I'd like to proceed with the negotiations of the protection treaty as quickly as possible."

"…Protection treaty?" Tails asked.

"I'll explain later," the purple hedgehog replied.


End file.
